Fresh Updates

The
Megiddo Expedition is sad to announce the passing of Lord Allenby of Megiddo on
Friday, October 3. Lord Allenby was a dear friend of the Megiddo Expedition. He
was the great nephew of Field Marshal Edmund Allenby, who led the British army
to victory over the Ottoman forces in the Levant in World War I. The Megiddo
Expedition operated under his patronage. Lord Allenby visited the dig several
times and participated in the excavations. יהי זיכרו ברוך, May his memory be
blessed.

The Sonia and Marco Nadler Publications
department publishes the English language Monograph Series, the English
language journal, Tel Aviv, Journal of the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv
University, Tel Aviv Occasional Publications and Salvage Excavation Reports.The Monograph Series publishes
final reports of the Institute's major archaeological projects as well as
multidisciplinary
investigations in Near Eastern archaeology carried out by its members. Tel Aviv
is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes articles on current
archaeological investigations in the Levant and critical studies related to the
history and culture of Near Eastern civilizations. While the journal features
articles dealing with the Classical and prehistoric periods, its primary focus
is on the biblical and protohistoric periods.Salvage Excavation Reports focuses on recent
salvage excavations conducted by Institute staff and students.

Abstract: Tel Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley of Israel has been the most cited type-site of the Early Bronze Age Levant since the excavations of the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s. Through the efforts of the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition, the stratigraphic sequence of the Early Bronze Age has been significantly refined, and a new monumental temple dating to Early Bronze Age IB (ca. 3000 B.C.E.) has been discovered. This Great Temple has proven to be the most monumental structure of the period in the Levant. This discovery provides new evidence for the rise of social and political complexity in the region.

Abstract: From 1992 to 2010, the Tel Aviv University Megiddo Expedition excavated an unprecedented monumental temple complex dating to the Early Bronze Age I, ca. 3000 B.C.E. This Great Temple has proved not only to be among the largest construction projects in the Levant in its day, but has revealed surprising new evidence for a society capable of monumental architecture, central planning, and significant control of resources in the Jezreel Valley, Israel, not hitherto expected for the place and time. Since 2010, the Jezreel Valley Regional Project (JVRP) has been conducting archaeological research at the site of Tel Megiddo East, the nearby settlement responsible for the construction of the temple, and studying the broader landscape in order to elucidate how and why Megiddo and the Jezreel Valley witnessed an incredible leap forward in social, political, and architectural capabilities at the end of the fourth millennium B.C.E. This essay elaborates on both the Great Temple and the recent discoveries and ongoing work by the JVRP at Tel Megiddo East that put the temple in context.

In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples"
invaded Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy managed to defeat them, but the
victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the
surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world
of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like
dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans.
No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of
the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and
Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology,
and monumental architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused
such widespread breakdown. How did it happen?

The
2014 Season is right around the corner, and this is the perfect time to get
familiar with our goals for the summer (for last season's results see '2012
Results').

Area K: The focus will be
on three main endeavors; (1) Exposure of late Middle Bronze Age domestic
architecture, including the final exposure and removal of the Level K-10
building (transitional Middle Bronze/Late Bronze horizon) and penetration
beneath. (2) Further work on the early Middle Bronze Age fortification system,
including a massive mudbrick wall and the examination of the exterior glacis in
a trial sounding on the slope. (3) Analysis of activity areas in the transitional
Late Bronze-Iron Age street levels outside the domestic structures in cooperation
with the staff and field laboratory of the Kimmel Center of Archaeological
Science (Weizmann Institute).

Supervisor:
Mario Martin

Area H: This
season, the excavations will continue in the northern squares of the area, in
order to fully expose the Late Bronze Age levels, which have already been
partly excavated during the previous season.

Supervisor:
Melissa Cradic

Area Q: The work
on the pillared house, which was exposed last season, will continue. In addition,
geo-archaeological work, in collaboration with the Weizmann institute staff,
will continue on the destruction debris of stratum VIA.

Supervisor:
Robert Homsher

Soundings:
Additionally,
in the upcoming season, soundings will be opened in three new locations: (1) Palace
1369 (known as 'the Assyrian Palace'), (2) in the vicinity of Palace 6000 (3) in
the surrounds of Building 338. Our objective in each of these probes is to tackle
some stratigraphical issues related to the city of the Iron Age IIA-B (Chicago
University's strata V-IVA); for example, the date and function of Building 338.

An “Archaeological science field school” is offered by the Kimmel Center for Archaeological Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. The purpose of the course is to expose students to interdisciplinary research that involves archaeology and the natural sciences, in the field. The students will experience interactive work that combines excavation and analysis of materials using an on-site laboratory. The course will emphasize the inter-connection between laboratory analyses and the archaeological context, and will include fieldwork, laboratory work, and lectures.

The course is organized in collaboration with Prof. Israel Finkelstein (Tel-Aviv University), director of the Tel Megiddo Expedition and with Dr. Ofer Marder (Ben-Gurion University) and Dr. Omry Barzilai (Israel Antiquities Authority) co-directors of the Manot Cave prehistoric excavation (www.facebook.com/manotcaveproject). Registered students will participate either in the excavation of the site Tel Megiddo (with Prof. Weiner and Dr. Shahack-Gross) or in the excavation of Manot Cave (with Dr. Boaretto). Four days of the field school will be devoted for on-site work, while the first and last days will be devoted for lectures and communication of the two sub-groups.

The course will take place between July 13th and 18th, 2014 (gathering on July 12th evening). Accommodation and food will be supplied by the excavations organizers. The cost is $500 per week.

Applications are limited for students from third year undergraduates through Masters and doctoral students. The best qualified 10 applicants will be selected. Applications should include one paragraph explaining why you are interested in participating in this course, which site you would prefer conducting the course at, CV, list of grades and two names of referees, and sent no later than March 15th 2014 to:

The Megiddo Expedition is proud to announce that the three-volume final report, Megiddo V—The 2004-2008 Seasons, is about to be published. The book is a joint publication of Eisenbrauns Publishers in the United States and the Institute of Archaeology of Tel Aviv University. Orders outside of Israel can be place with Eisenbrauns at www.eisenbrauns.com. Orders in Israel should be sent to archpubs@post.tau.ac.il. Take advantage now of the huge savings being offered on pre-publication purchases.

The cover of the new issue of BAR magazine (Jan\Feb 2013) is presenting two of our team members: Katie Paul and Idan Jonish with Area Q in the background! The Photo was taken by one of our directors - Dr. Eric Cline.